Clearing my throat, I turned and looked out the window. We had almost finished crossing the bottom of Florida and were heading out across the Gulf of Mexico. Before me stretched miles of ocean that were quickly disappearing under a thick layer of clouds as we rapidly ascended to 30,000 feet.
“Thank you,” I said as I turned back to the stewardess who’d brought us a chilled fruit plate and a Spanish omelet. My mouth began to water. How long has it been since I’ve eaten?
“Hungry?” Mason asked as I wolfed down half the omelet in a very unladylike 30 seconds. “I guess we did skip dinner last night.” He smiled and picked up his fork. He must have discovered how amazing the food was because he didn’t speak for the next few minutes.
“How long is the flight?” I asked, looking out the window again.
“About 15 hours. We cross the gulf, and once we hit Central America, we’ll turn slightly north for China. It could be a little shorter if the winds favor us and push us along faster. She’s got a range of over 7,500 miles at Mach 0.8.” Leaning back, he crossed his legs and picked up a newspaper. “We’ll stop and refuel in Tokyo, but that won’t take long.”
Wow, I really was naive. I thought Dad was pretentious, but this level of luxury was off the charts.
“Have you always traveled like this?”
“Well,” Clearing his throat, he ducked his head, a move that made him look like a vulnerable little boy for a moment. “No. Growing up, we didn’t have much.”
Raising an eyebrow, I didn’t say anything but waited to see if he would share anything else. I wasn’t going to miss this opportunity to learn more about Mason.
“Dad died when I was young. Mom had to work a lot. Traveling like this was a pipe dream.”
Mason
Kinsey had looked shell-shocked when we walked out to the plane. I guess I should have prepared her, but I figured a private jet would be old hat. Noah must have really kept her sheltered over the years. No wonder she panicked when he cut her off.
Breakfast had been great, but what I really wanted was Kinsey. That kiss in the limo had blown me away. Our attraction was undeniable, and I didn’t know what to do about it.
I couldn’t believe I’d talked about my childhood. I didn’t tell anybody about that. Mom knew I had donated money to the shelter, but neither she nor Mark knew I volunteered there. Kinsey brought things out of me I thought were buried deep.
As she slept, I read through several reports and made notes for our meeting that evening. Leaning back, I thought about what to do. There was roughly an 8-year difference in our ages. Did that matter? She was an adult. I was an adult. She seemed into me, and I was definitely into her.
I itched to run a finger down her cheek. Her skin looked soft, pink with the flush of sleep. Rather than going into the bedroom, which I knew she was curious about, she had chosen to recline her leather chair and curl up with the soft, fuzzy blanket the stewardess provided. She’d almost immediately fallen asleep.
Tapping my pen on the open file in front of me, I waited for the noise to wake her up. What am I doing? Her eyes fluttered open, dreamy and unfocused. She saw me watching her, her big blue eyes locked onto mine, telegraphing her increasing need. I reached over and touched her cheek, my finger running down her neck and along her collar bone. I felt myself hardening. Parting her lips, she gave a little sigh as my finger dipped below the collar of her blouse and caressed the soft flesh of her plump breasts.
Her chest rose as her breath came faster. She slowly leaned forward. Moistening her lips, she spoke. “Mason?” Her breath came out in a rush, whispering my name.
I knew it was wrong. I was too old. She was too young. She worked for me, and what’s worse, she my best friend’s daughter. Noah trusted me, but God, these last few days together, working with Kinsey, seeing her every day, watching her come alive as she settled into her position at the office—I was afraid I was falling for her.
Dipping my head I leaned forward just enough so my lips brushed hers. The air sizzled at our kiss, and Kinsey melted beneath me.
“We shouldn’t. Not yet.” The words came out with a sigh as I tried to pull back, my balls aching with the need to bury myself in her warmth. “This is all happening too fast.”
Kinsey was not to be denied. “I don’t care,” she whispered. She reached up and pulled my face toward her again. This time our lips connected with a fierce passion. “I don’t care,” she said again between kisses. “I need you.”
What man could resist that? Not me. I wasn’t that strong.
“Are you clean?” she whispered in my ear.
I nodded, my eyes flashing. This is really going to happen!
“Me too.” She nibbled on the soft edge of my ear. “And I’m on the pill.”
Suddenly, the alpha male awakened in me. Reason was gone. All my earlier excuses were forgotten. Reaching down, I scooped her up, cradled her against my chest as I strode back to the bedroom, and kicked the door shut behind me. I became the aggressor, taking over the seduction and gently but firmly dropping her on the bed so I could drink in her beauty.
Kinsey
Landing with a bounce on the luxurious bed where Mason dropped me, I reached up, my hands working feverishly to undo all the buttons on his crisp dress shirt. I was dying to expose what was underneath. Would it be as amazing as I imagined? Pushing his shirt off his wide shoulders exposed the broad, chiseled chest I had dreamt about.
My hands roamed over the flat plains, tracing the hard muscles, and running through the light dusting of dark hair. I couldn’t help myself. I wanted to feel more of him. Dragging him down on top of me, I reveled in the heat of his firm, lean body pressed against me. When I pulled him even closer, I could feel his hardness growing. His long rod telegraphed the throbbing need nestled perfectly in the cleft between my legs.
“I want you Mason,” I begged. Growing wetter, I could feel a trickle of moisture running down my inner thigh. I tried to wriggle even closer, hungry to feel him inside me.
My eyes fluttered closed for a moment and I stopped moving. Breathing in his scent, my libido rose fast. My body quivered with unmet need. Suddenly, I felt his weight leave me I and a devastating sense of loss filled me. My chest rose and fell with wanton breath as I listened to the clink of his belt and then the light thud of his pants hitting the floor. Peeking for just a moment I took in the sculpted expanse of tanned muscle, the sprinkling of curls on his chest that formed a trail down into the waistband of his black boxer briefs. Then he was above me, his shadow falling across my body and blocking the light.
Delicately, almost reverently, he began to strip my clothes from me. He spread my silky blouse wide and unwrapped me like a precious gift, sitting back on his heels to admire me as I lay there, chest heaving. Then he licked his lips and unhooked the front clasp of my lacy white bra, palmed my breasts gently in his strong hand, and playfully pinched my nipples until they hardened in his fingers. The pleasure of his touch was so intense I barely noticed my skirt and panties sliding over my hips, down my legs, and past my feet to be discarded and forgotten on the floor.
“Are you sure?” He paused for just a moment at the end of the bed.
“Yes!” I breathed out.
The bed dipped with his weight, and suddenly he was hovering above me once again. “You are so beautiful,” he whispered. “Your skin is soft like silk.” He kissed my breasts. “Your curves are irresistible.” He proceeded to explore my body, his muscles quivering with fragile restraint. Below, his manhood swelled and flushed with need. “I want to be inside you.”
“Yes, Mason, yes!” Wiggling beneath him, I was mad with lust. “Please, Mason, I want to feel you inside me!”
“I want to bury myself in you.” Whispering, he kissed me again as his fingers stroked between my legs. “Right here. I want to feel your slick, wet heat envelop me,” I felt his fingers, deep inside me, massaging my g-spot, feeding the flames of my desire. “You’re mine,” he whispered.
Then he wasn’t
talking anymore. Instead he worshipped my body. His hands kneaded and caressed me from shoulders to hips, followed by his gifted lips. The warm wetness of his tongue made me squirm as he took one nipple in his mouth and sucked, and my back arched off the bed. His stubble, rough on my tender skin, sent tingles up and down my nerve endings. Moments later, I felt his other hand gliding down my chest, over my other breast, first tweaking the nipple, fondling my round globe, and then creeping lower and lower toward my center. With one finger, he began gently massaging my clit as his mouth licked and sucked both breasts.
He focused on his work, jaw clenched as he explored me. I could feel his member swelling, and I ached to feel the satin-smooth flesh, to explore it with my hands and mouth, to taste the slightly salty musk on my tongue. His hands were like magic, and I lost my focus, my entire being centered on the growing pressure between my legs.
“Oh, god,” I cried out, drowning in pleasure as my orgasm rose, the spiral of sensation coiling tighter and tighter. “Mason!” I screamed as I felt the first wave build. He kept on hand busy, his fingers flicking and rubbing my center of desire. With the other hand, he gently slipped two fingers inside me, curling them up to stroke my spot again. I felt the wave cresting, and then pushing me over the edge as he massaged the walls of my canal while at the same time leaning down and devouring, adoring my clit. Soon, the orgasm rolled over me, wave after wave, peaking and cresting as he continued to lick and suck and caress at my center.
I came, my wetness flooding his hands, my inner muscles clenching as his fingers slid in and out. His tongue lapped at me, wringing out every last tremor until I collapsed back on the bed, spent.
“Oh, no. We’re not nearly done yet,” he whispered. Raising himself back above me he took my mouth and kissed me long and deep. I could taste myself on his tongue. Nipping at my lower lip, I could feel him settle between my legs, his hardness probing my core. He slipped in and slid out, his tip teasing my opening ravenous opening. Then, finally, he did it. His thick cock slid inside, taunting me at first with barely half of himself, then retreating again until finally he buried as much of his shaft as could fit in me. I could feel the burn, my walls stretching to accommodate his girth, slick and welcoming as he claimed me deep within.
Almost immediately, I felt the wave rise again, taking me higher and higher. He started slow and then increased his speed. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his back becoming slick under my hands. My fingers clawed for grip, matching him stroke for stroke as he pounded in and out, finding my spot every time without fail. We clung to each other until together we crested, his hardness exploding inside me as my walls trembled around him. I wrapped my arms around him as shuddered out his release.
Chapter 13
Kinsey
Lying in Mason’s arms afterwards, I felt safe, protected, and deeply loved. Stretching muscles I hadn’t used in quite a while, I snuggled closer to his right side. He tightened his embrace around me, pillowing my head on his chest. My left hand played with the springy curls sprinkled across his well-defined muscles.
“What are you thinking about, Kinsey?” Bending his head he looked me in the eye. “Are you okay?”
“I’m more than okay, I just… I was just wondering…” Pausing, I thought for a moment, then rolled out of his arms and lay looking at him. “I... is this real?” All the doubts I’d had came crowding back in. All the reasons we shouldn’t be together flooded my mind, and the enormity of what we had done crashed over me.
He stiffened, “I don’t know what this is, Kins.” Then I felt him relax and his hand came up and he began stroking my hair. “I’ve never felt like this before.” He whispered, voice cracking. “This time is different.”
I pulled him close, pressing his head into my chest and rubbing his back. He lay quietly, and I could feel his breath warm across my breast, my nipple alternating hot and cold in time with his breathing.
“I have never lost control like that before. You make me forget all the reasons we shouldn’t be together.”
“I know. It’s that way for me too.” My fingers danced in his hair, twirling the dark strands and standing them on end. “You make my previous relationships seem like child’s play. My feelings for you scare me.”
“They scare me too. I don’t understand them.” He leaned in for a long kiss before the intercom buzzed, interrupting the intimacy of the moment.
“Mr. Alexander, we are coming into some turbulence.” The pilot’s stern voice killed our magic. “If you could buckle yourselves in, that would be good.”
Kinsey
Pushing up to kiss him one more time, I rolled out of bed, taking the top sheet with me and wrapping it around myself toga-style. I padded over to the walk-in shower. I can’t believe this plane has a shower!!! I turned on the hot water as he reached for the button to respond to the pilot’s warning.
Slam!
The plane lurched, and Mason’s briefcase slid across the floor and hit the wall. Grabbing onto the doorway to brace myself, I let the sheet fall to my feet. “Mason, what was that?” I gasped and turned to face the man still sprawled gloriously naked across the king-sized bed I’d just left.
Mason
The plane lurched and dropped, making my stomach rise until it felt like it was lodged in my throat. The turbulence threw me off the bed and onto the floor, wrenching me from the blissful spell I had been under. I landed in an ungainly heap, and reaching out to steady myself, tried to climb to my feet. This was not normal turbulence.
POW!
Whipping my head around and running to peer out the closest window I could see black smoke trailing from the right engine. Orange flames licked the wing, singing the skin of the plane, and leaving black bubbled metal behind.
Oh shit! This isn’t good!
“Kinsey, get dressed fast. I need to check on the pilots.” I threw the words over my shoulder, hoping she heard me as I raced to the front of the plane. The distance seemed much farther than I’d remembered.
“Guys, give me the short version.” Slamming through the cockpit door, pulling on my pants as I went, the words tumbled out in a rush.
Ricardo, the pilot, didn’t even look at me. Sweat beading on his brow, tension lines creasing his forehead, his knuckles white on the controls, he was the picture of concentration.
Matt, the first officer, paused briefly in his assessment of the disaster to fill me in. “It’s bad, Mason. The right engine caught a bird or something. We’re shutting it down.”
Ricardo barely moved his lips and never took his eyes off the flickering instrument panel. “I don’t know how bad the damage is yet,” he said. “The instruments are going crazy, our stabilizers are gone, and we’re fighting to keep altitude. Get strapped in. We may have to put her down the first chance we get.”
“Okay. Keep me informed if you can. I’m going to warn Kinsey and get strapped in. Good luck.” Closing my eyes, I said a silent prayer; the religion of my youth coming back to me even though I hadn’t set foot in a church in more than a decade.
Ricardo and Matt had been with me for 5 years. Both former military pilots, they had retired after twenty years of service and moved into the private sector. I knew if anyone could pull off an emergency landing, it was them.
“Mason?” Kinsey came up behind me as I stood in the doorway, her eyes wide, projecting the terror she was fighting to keep inside. I turned to her, pulling the door shut at my back so she couldn’t see the crew’s panic.
“Kinsey, sit down and get buckled in. We’ve got problems.” I gently turned her to the nearest seat. “We lost an engine.” I didn’t want to scare her, but I hadn’t spotted any land yet— we were still somewhere over the gulf. “We have to be ready. We may be doing an emergency landing very soon.” I hoped land was close, the Rolls Royce engines on this plane were work horses, but the plane was designed for two engines, and right now we only had one. Plus, I didn’t know how damaged the wing was from the explosion and fire. If there was much structural damage, the
plane might not hold up against the additional strain we were flying under.
She gasped, her eyes so big the whites were showing. All the color leached from her face, paling the rosy post-coital glow she’d had only moments before.
“What…” she swallowed rapidly, “what do we need to do?”
“We just need to be prepared. Get buckled. It’s only going to get rougher.” I snagged my shirt and shoes from the bedroom and finished getting dressed. It’s like when you are little and your mom tells you to put on clean underwear just in case you are in an accident—I didn’t want to crash half dressed. Kinsey and I both strapped ourselves into the leather club chairs where only an hour before we’d had such a relaxed meal.
Marie, our flight attendant, was with the pilots. I put on a headset so I could listen in on the conversation in the cockpit and helped Kinsey secure her chest harness. Then I pulled up our flight route on my iPad. I was relieved to see we were approaching the Central American coast. If we could just make it to land, there had to be an airport nearby. Central America isn’t that wide. We might just make it.
Flipping over to the cockpit channel on the headset, the first thing I heard was, “God damn it! The left engine is starting to overheat! I’m going to lower the speed and set the best glide angle. Come on, baby, come on!” The stress was evident in Ricardo’s voice as he continued, “She’s getting harder to control. Matt, send out a mayday and find me the closest airport or… some place we can try to land.”
I was glad Kinsey wasn’t listening. The news up front wasn’t good. I looked back at the iPad—we were closer to land, and it looked like we were just off the coast near the Honduras-Nicaragua border.
“MAYDAY! MAYDAY! This is Gulfstream 6301-November-Charlie! I repeat, this is Gulfstream 6301-November-Charlie—off the coast of Honduras! We have lost an engine and are making an emergency landing!” Matt’s voice trembled as he ended the mayday transmission.
Mason: The Lost Billionaires, Book 1 Page 8